Bike Forums - Twitchy handlebars

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Twitchy handlebars

I’m 6’1 34” inseam. My 58 cm bike is set up where I feel comfortable on long rides, but I’m still getting some handlebar back and forth twitch while switching gear (downtube friction) or shifting hand positions.

It’s telling me something isn’t balanced. Would a longer stem and lowering the bars, or the reverse of that help make things rock solid?

Seat is set back almost to max, seat to bar drop is maybe 5-6 cm. I haven’t measured it since I last adjusted

What bike? Is this bike new to you? It sounds like bike geometry is the issue, not fit. Some bikes are twitchy by design.

Quote:

https://www.bikeforums.net/images/mo...sc/unknown.gif philbob57 , 07-29-18 05:13 PM
What bike? Is this bike new to you? It sounds like bike geometry is the issue, not fit. Some bikes are twitchy by design.

The bike is a 1983 Nishiki Olympic 12, and yes it is new to me. I’m new to a more aggressive writing position as well, so maybe I’m still adjusting to that?

Recent saddle height, fore/aft, and bar height adjustments have made a huge improvement so far.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raleigh74 (Post 20477356)

I have a 1984 Nishiki International whose front wheel starts to oscillate if I ride no-handed leaning back on the seat. But not leaning forward. I have been through multiple tires and truings, But your situation sounds a lot more severe as I can shift and change hand positions without twitch.

I would check the wheels, both, for straightness (truing). Also, check to see the wheels are in alignment. Before getting lower gears fitted I would have to ride out of the saddle more on hills, and all that mashing would shift the front of the rear wheel to the non-drive side, which seemed to aggravate the twitching.

Also I had a broken rear axel for a few years before the gear change last spring. You would think I'd notice, but it worked okay. The result was that the wheel would go out of alignment a little more often. Now it stays in alignment better, but even when all it aligned and trued, there is still a little twitch when riding no-handed, but not as bad as when the rear wheel would shift out of alignment under heavy mashing.

One last thing...I am not a bicycle mechanic by a long shot, but is the frame or fork out of alignment or slightly bent? My International has a light, thin steel frame which makes it very flexible, which makes it a fantastically comfortable ride, but I sometimes wonder about it bending from road shocks or worse.

Quote:

I would check the wheels, both, for straightness (truing). Also, check to see the wheels are in alignment. Before getting lower gears fitted I would have to ride out of the saddle more on hills, and all that mashing would shift the front of the rear wheel to the non-drive side, which seemed to aggravate the twitching.

Good ideas, maybe it is something as simple as the wheel being out of true.

I’m thinking it may be magnified by my stance on the bike. I’m still trying to dial everything in, so maybe it’s operator error.

58cm, although within my range for hieght/inseam is on the low end. So maybe I’m fighting with too small a frame?

skill not parts ?... grab the bar near the stem,
when you take your other hand off the bars, to reach down to the downtube shift lever ..

and you won't shake the bars as much as you do now ..

consider bar end shifting levers, then you keep both hands on the handlebars,
that is what I did, 30 years ago..

:50:

..